One-handed athlete tills the soil to support career

Behind the bedroom door at their home in Phoenix Park, St Ann, Beverley Hall's first child was fast asleep, swaddled in a blanket. Her mother's and brother's eyes had become teary after they looked at the baby's right arm.

"Di morning after him born a lady who had lived in England for some time said to mi, 'Bev, yuh have baby', and mi seh to har, 'sumn wrong wid di baby, enuh'," Hall said as she retraced the novelty of her first son's birth in 1985.

"After she look at the baby she seh nuttn nuh wrong wid the baby. She seh she has seen it before and that calm mi down a little bit," Hall said.

Her son, Shane Hudson, was born with a birth defect known as Amelia, which is the lacking of one or more limbs. In Hudson's case, his left arm stopped growing at the elbow.

While she was being interviewed by THE STAR, via telephone, Hudson was on the farm he inherited from his grandfather.

The one-hand man was cutting, chopping, and digging to get his hundred and odd yam hills ready for reaping season.

A week ago, Hudson returned to the Island after competing at the Paralympic Games in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, where he was placed just outside of the medal positions.

"From Shane was young him always show signs of wanting to be independent," Hall said.

"One time mi wash some clothes fi him and him tek dem off the line and seh anuh so him grandmother wash clothes. Right now, I think him can wash better than mi because mi nuh know nobody can wash white like him," she said.

Hudson told THE STAR that he got ill before the semi-final of his 400m T47 Class and this could probably have serious implication on his future in the sport.

"The food was really terrible and it sick mi before the semi-final, which I believe hurt my chances," Hudson said. "I don't know if I am going to get it because as a Paralympic athlete the trend is that one has to get a gold medal to get a contract. I don't know if I am going to get a contract, and mi mother and aunt a seh mi fi stop cause mi naah get nuttn from it."

According to Hudson, he had to stall his preparation for the Rio Games because he couldn't finance his training.

"After I leave UWI where I was training, I thought it would be easier for me to train down at Moneague College cause mi wouldn't have to pay rent because it close to mi home," Hudson said.

"But mi still couldn't afford to buy any supplements suh mi stop train and go work pon a construction site," said Hudson, who plans to begin his preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Games in three weeks.